Parents equipped with tools for early learning at home |08 July 2023
Participants of the session engaging in early learning activities
A first sensitisation session on early stimulation, learning and interaction was held on Saturday, July 1 at the Ministry of Education hall, Mont Fleuri.
The session is part of the Sensitisation of Parents Programme (SENSPA) initiative by the Institute for Early Childhood Development (IECD).
This particular session was for parents with children between the ages of zero to three years, who are not in a registered childcare service with IECD.
This project is aligned with the recommendations of the Early Learning Readiness Assessment Report (2021), which called for more parental involvement in children’s early learning and outlined that more support should be given to parents to increase their knowledge and level of engagement on early stimulation and learning in preparation for crèche and pre-school education.
The initiative is also part of the National Action Plan 2023-2024 on Early Childhood Care and Education which will be launched later this year.
An enthusiastic group of parents showed up for this first session which started with an overview of the early learning project presented by the director for Programme Coordination and Research, Marie-France Barra.
The chief executive of IECD, Shirley Choppy, also gave a brief presentation on the National Standards on Childminding Regulation (2016), in particular the standards on the ‘Early Learning’ and ‘Interaction’, as well as the newly developed Early Stimulation and Learning Programme for home-based childcare service.
The parents also had the opportunity to learn about child development from zero to three years and the importance of play. This was facilitated by Elisca Zialor from the early learning team. Other facilitators included Marie-Helene Adrienne, Marie-Claire Leon and head of section for the Centre-Based Unit at IECD, Renele Anacoura.
The highlight of the session was the group practical activities where the participants were able to engage in different early learning activities such as: creating a child friendly environment at home otherwise known as a reading corner, demonstration of storytelling with big books, sensory activities using real fruits and vegetables and everyone’s personal favourite on the day, creation of a scrapbook, which the participants could then take home to their children.
Following the session, the participants conveyed their appreciation to the organisers of the event and shared how it will further assist them in their home setting with their children.
Other similar sessions will be organised to attract even more parents, including a session on Praslin in the coming weeks.
Early Learning is described as programmes that provide education for children outside the home before crèche or pre-school. Children need meaningful learning opportunities to develop skills, sense of self and a foundation for learning throughout life.
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